Mass vaccination of people against coronavirus infection COVID-19 in Russia may begin in the fall, said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

“As you know, work on the vaccine is in full swing, we are really looking forward to the results, and experts say that if successful, mass vaccination can already be started in the fall, but for now we all need to learn how to live with the risks that the infection poses,” quoted by RIA Novosti.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the completion of the selection of volunteers who will be involved in a test of the vaccine against coronavirus. According to the agency, we are talking about 50 military personnel selected from various units throughout Russia.

“50 military personnel were selected to test the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, including five women who voluntarily expressed their desire to take part in testing the modern drug,” the department said.

The ministry notes that all candidates have been screened and tested. For a month they did not reveal any diseases.

The first group of volunteers is expected to arrive on June 3 at a special institution at the 48th Central Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense in order to undergo a “preliminary in-depth medical examination” in preparation for the experiment.

The head of the defense department, Sergei Shoigu, also said that to date, 6.5 thousand cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded in the Armed Forces of Russia. Moreover, more than 4.3 thousand people have already recovered. All personnel are regularly tested for COVID-19, the minister emphasized.

Fermented milk vaccine

A vaccine against coronavirus is being developed in Russia, which can be taken in the form of a dairy product, said Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Chekhonin at an online meeting of the Academy Presidium.

The Institute of Experimental Medicine (IEM) is developing the vaccine, Chekhonin explained. He added that the drug belongs to the type of mucosal vaccines that are introduced into the body through the mouth, in the form of aerosols or slightly larger drops. According to him, the vaccine acts on a spiky protein, with the help of which SARS-CoV-2 infects healthy cells.

“The target for cloning is a gene encoding the coronavirus S protein (the protein by which the coronavirus enters a healthy cell. - RT ). As a result, the gene is introduced into the coding region of the surface villi of the probiotic bacterium and a bacterium is formed with the immunogenic protein of the virus on the surface. This vaccine can be administered as a fermented milk product, ”TASS quoted Chekhonin as saying.

He added that the vaccine is currently undergoing preclinical trials.

Earlier, the IEM talked about working on another vaccine, which, in particular, will protect against flu. As explained by the head of the Department of Virology. Smorodintseva Institute of Experimental Medicine (IEM), a WHO expert, professor Larisa Rudenko, we are talking about a vector vaccine in which another, less dangerous pathogen is used as a carrier of the gene material of the pathogen.

In April, it was reported that at least nine new-type coronavirus vaccines were being developed in Russia. This list mentioned six drugs developed by the State Scientific Center for Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”, as well as one vaccine from the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums and two drugs from the BIOCAD company.

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Later, at the end of May, the WHO representative in Russia, Melita Vujnovich, said that Russia had proposed eight candidate vaccines to the organization. She said that by the end of May, WHO had notified 124 potential candidate vaccines from manufacturers.

Lung disinfection

Along with this, a new methodology for combating coronavirus was described in Rosatom. Specialists of one of the scientific centers of the state corporation have developed an unusual approach to the treatment of coronavirus by disinfection of the lungs with ultraviolet radiation.

About this in an interview with the official publication of the Russian nuclear industry newspaper "Country Rosatom" said the director of the Physics and Power Institute named after Leipunsky Andrei Goverdovsky. It was in this institution and developed a new technique.

“We call the project“ luminous gas. ” Until now, no one has been able to disinfect with ultraviolet light inside a person. We figured out how to do this, ”explained Goverdovsky, noting that scientists select molecules and gas components that can remain active when inhaled and emit ultraviolet light directly into the lungs.

The head of the IPPE expressed the hope that in addition to coronavirus, a promising method will be effective in the treatment of tuberculosis, oncology and other diseases.